French Dispatch
Wes Anderson’s anthological ode to print journalism is his most visually rich, original, experimental, and sharply written film yet.
Director Wes Anderson’s films can be considered niche but even within his fanbase, it seemed like many people, myself included, forgot this one was on its way—lost in the hurricane of 202 delays. So it was a great surprise when I checked the times for the more widely anticipated movie—Dune—and saw this was premiering. I went on opening night, with a small crowd, and loved every minute of it.
I was introduced to Wes Anderson movies with Moonrise Kingdom 2012. It took multiple viewings for me to appreciate his quirky plots and symmetrical shots, but I came around to it and then backtracked through his filmography. To date, Grand Budapest Hotel and Royal Tenenbaums are probably my favorites of his work. But the French Dispatch is contending.
Perhaps more than any director, you know Wes Anderson’s movies when you see them. They are recognizable by every aspect, every shot. Hipster costume design, indie soundtrack, and his expanding reoccurring cast. (Bill Murray of course, Adrian Brody, Jason Schwarzman, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Saoirse Ronan, Ed Norton, Henry Winkler, Anjelica Huston, Jeffrey Wright, Benicio Del Toro, and among others Timothee Chalamet who apparently has comedic timing!) And most of all the perfectly executed symmetry and elaborate sets. Everything screams his name. He is very particular, very unique. And it is great to see his style develop throughout his films. He is getting more and more ambitious, creative, and perhaps well-funded. And I hope this continues.
As I alluded to, this is an anthology story. The French Dispatch, a small but renowned magazine is preparing its final issue. The movie is broken into the stories that will fill that issue. Woven in are the journalists writing them and the magazine’s chief at the lead. A bike ride tour of a French town, a psychopathic incarcerated art virtuoso, a youth revolt involving chess, and a five-star chef for cops. Having a film that is under two hours split into four smaller stories with barely any backstory is very risky. It could easily feel disjointed, lost, ungrounded. But somehow it works. The stories are all different. But you care about them equally. Anderson and his expanding cast make them just delightful and insightful enough. You are immediately hooked. I could have watched four separate movies about these characters and situations.
Like with all his films, what sticks with you are the camera choices. The French Dispatch has some of the most creative cinematography I have seen in years. The classic tracking shots he has used since his first films. The layered practical effects of his moving sets. And his cutaways to letters, tools, lists, and whatever else get a laugh. Everything is reaching top form. This is clear from the start. Example. Early on there is a well-choreographed sequence of food being set and carried on a waiter’s tray. A tray spins and hands set food, drinks, and cutlery on it in rapid rhythm like a dance. Something so simple and fast that most people probably don’t think about it while they are watching. But I was reminded, strangely enough, of Jackie Chan’s early stunt work; I sat there thinking “how many takes, how long did it take to practice and get that right.” So quick but enjoyable, and it pays off for the overall aesthetic. What is obvious is how meticulous Anderson is about every shot, even those small things. And it just gets bigger and better from there. Owen Wilson peddling with a French town and traffic whizzing by. A jumbo airplane becoming transparent to show levels of passengers and a massive art exhibit. The freeze-frame fights were my favorite.
Wes Anderson has and perhaps still is synonymous with hipster culture. Quirky, deadpan, precautious. Niche! And I agree that most of his work is an acquired taste. You enjoy it more if you know what you’re getting into. Or you don’t get the appeal. But the French Dispatch will be one that I recommend to doubters and disciples alike. There is something here for everyone! While this is the most Wes-Andersonian Wes Anderson movie ever!...it doesn’t feel as heavy-handed or precocious as some of his other films. The French Dispatch is not hipster for the sake of being hipster, strange for the sake of strange. Actual depth and love are being conveyed. This is Wes Anderson’s love letter to print journalism. Characters are peculiar but they also personify prominent writers, journalists, and icons. The cover to the magazines harkens back to the New Yorker and other prints. The varied plots are dry in humor but they each have something of substance to say about what journalism can do for art, politics, and movements.
